Love Is Just A Game
by VIVIANVAMPYRIC
Summary: YAMAMOTO X OC. Nobody knew what exactly his type was, and perhaps, he himself, had no clue either.
1. no time

"Yamamoto-San! Please... Please accept my chocolates!"

That was how _every_ Valentine's Day went for him. Girls gave him chocolate, he accepted them, and his life went on. Never pursuing any sort of relationship and never showing interest towards anyone other than his friends, Yamamoto seemed happy, and girls didn't understand why. It's not like he couldn't _get_ a girlfriend, on the contrary, girls were practically on their knees, begging him to make them more than just his provider of sweets. Nobody could understand why he refused to get a girlfriend, not even his closest friends, Tsuna and Gokudera, and whenever asked Yamamoto claimed that he didn't have enough time to get a girlfriend, or that he couldn't find girls that were _his type_. Nobody knew what exactly _his_ _type _was, and perhaps, he himself, had no clue either.

* * *

"Takeshi!" A loud voice exclaimed at 6 a.m., waking Yamamoto from his peaceful slumber almost immediately. One shout from his father was all it took for him to climb out of bed and change into his exercising clothes, a pair of dark, baggy sweatpants and a cotton t-shirt. This was only the start of his morning schedule. After changing, he would perform a series of warm-ups in his room and then head out to take a single lap around the town. Admittedly, his morning regime wasn't exactly as strenuous as Ryohei's, but it was enough to keep him in top condition, especially during baseball season. Baseball... It used to mean everything to him, until he met Tsuna. Now, he put his friends first, holding them in higher regard then the sport he grew to love. Love... _Heh_, that was something else. Honestly, sometimes, he felt like he was missing something. Especially when Tsuna tried to woo Kyoko. (Even though he was almost always unsuccessful.) Sure, Yamamoto loved his family, but having a girl, other than Gokudera around, wouldn't be too bad, right?

"Eh? Takeshi? You're still here?" His father asked, curiously. It was 7:40, ten minutes after he usually left. Yamamoto's eyes grew wide at the breakfast table, snapping out of his deep thoughts.

"Ah! I'm late. Bye, dad!" The boy exclaimed, grabbing his things and bolting from his house. He wouldn't be able to stop at Tsuna's today, so he just ran straight to school, slightly frustrated that his daily schedule had been thrown off, due to his daydreams about his friends and love. _'I don't have time for love and there's nobody out there that's my type.' _Yamamoto thought stubbornly, bursting into his classroom with only a couple of minutes to spare.

"Yamamoto! Where were you?" Tsuna inquired, his caramel orbs reflecting a look of worry.

"Get lost, baseball freak?" Gokudera asked, the frown permanently pasted upon his features.

"Oh, I was just late! Nothing to worry about!" A grin crossed his face as he waved his hand in front of him, to signify that it was nothing. Nothing at all.

"Oy! Takeshi! See you on the baseball field tonight! We'll beat Makio Middle School for sure this year!" Ito Mamoru, a boy on his baseball team called out. _'Oh, right! We have a game tonight... Shit.' _Yamamoto had totally forgotten, being preoccupied with his friends the night before. The worried expression evaporated as a smile quickly replaced it.

"Yeah, yeah! See you on the field." He gave his teammate a thumbs up before averting his attention back to his friends. "Tsuna, I guess I can't study with you guys tonight. I've got a game tonight."

"Oh! It's okay, Yamamoto." Tsuna said, nodding in understanding as a smile lit up his features. The bell rang, and they all knew to take their seats.

_'A game tonight... And it's against Makio Middle too... How could I have forgotten?' _Yamamoto wondered, before starting to fade off into his daydreams again...


	2. shameless

"Striiiiike! You're out!" Yamamoto's dark gaze glared at the pitcher. Kato Izanagi was Makio Middle School's star player, kind of like Yamamoto himself. Kato was a great asset to his team, and only allowed Namimori Middle to score one run. _'If only he was on our team,'_ Yamamoto thought wistfully, standing up from the bench and jogging into center field. The game was in a deadlock, 1-1, and Yamamoto was determined to win this, even if only by one point. He vowed to win this game as he put on his intense face, getting ready for the game ahead of them...

* * *

_'Boring. So boring.' _A girl thought, sitting at the stands with her chocolate eyes watching the field. Her eyes were focused on the game, but her mind absorbed nothing, as she was off in her own dream world. She was clad in a dark purple hoodie and dark-washed skinny jeans, but she still shivered under her light pink fleece blanket. It was a cold, April evening, and her father had managed to convince her to attend her brother's baseball game. As a dedicated baseball dad, Kato Arata never allowed himself to miss a game. _'I would know_._' _The girl thought, forcing herself not to roll her eyes. Her gaze rested upon a lanky, dark-haired boy with the last name Yamamoto printed on the back of his uniform. He stood, ready to bat, and she allowed herself to check him out shamlessly, a lustful sigh escaping her lips. _'At least there's a beautiful man here to focus on.'_

"Amaya, are you doing alright? Cold? Tired?" Her dad asked, his eyes glancing over at his daughter. Since Amaya was the only girl in the family, her dad didn't have much experience with females, which, at times like this, the girl was thankful for. Her cheeks grew red in the dim light as she shook her head, her loose chestnut curls bouncing around.

"No, no, dad. Just focus on Izanagi. He's pitching now!" Even as she said these words, her eyes remained upon Yamamoto's handsome visage. '_If only I could get to know him better... If only -'_

"Izanagi...? IZANAGI!" Her father exclaimed, standing up. Amaya's orbs moved towards the pitcher's cage, as she saw her brother's form crumpling down onto the cold ground. Without a thought, Amaya threw the blanket off of her body and leaped down three rows of bleachers, running into the field to her brother's form. His hand was clutched over his heart, as his deep, brown eyes fluttered closed.

"Call... Call the ambulance. CALL THE AMBULANCE!" She screamed in panic.

* * *

"CALL THE AMBULANCE!" The girl on the field exclaimed, as his hazel eyes widened in worry. He dropped the bat that he held within his hands, and ran to the pitcher's mound, appearing next to the girl. He pressed his ear down gently to the boy's chest, listening for a heartbeat.

"Can you hear the beat?" The girl asked, as their eyes met.

"It's irregular and rapid." He replied, as the wailing of sirens could be heard in the distance. In an instant, two paramedics picked Izanagi up and laid him on a stretcher, placing him gently in the back of the ambulance. Without another word, the nameless girl jumped up and ran to the bleachers, disappearing from the scene in a matter of moments with her father.

* * *

"The game is off." The coach said, resting his hand upon Yamamoto's shoulder. "We'll continue the game later, when Kato is doing better."


	3. blue with a green ribbon

That scene was nearly two weeks ago... Yamamoto sat in class with his cheek resting upon his propped up arm, daydreaming again. He wondered how Kato Izanagi was doing, and he wondered _who_ that girl was on the baseball field. Her scream haunted him, as he remembered her large brown eyes to be filled with worry and fright. _'Were they related?' _He wondered, mentally conjuring up images of Kato and the girl, and comparing them side by side in his mind. He decided that they were probably siblings, with their large, brown eyes the dead giveaway. Whispers filled the room as a newcomer entered, successfully shocking Yamamoto out of his daydreams. It was _her_. The girl from the baseball field. _'What was she doing here? Didn't she go to Makio Middle?'_

"This is Kato Amaya, a new student. You may sit next to Gokudera Hayato." The teacher instructed, motioning to the silver haired boy that sat in the front row. She nodded as she made her way next to him, placing her workbook gingerly down upon the surface of her desk. She gazed over at Gokudera's book and flipped to the same page he was on. Apart from the quick smile she offered the silver-haired smartass, the girl refused to make eye contact with anyone, with her gaze fixed upon the workbook sitting open on her desk.

"Takeshi! Answer number sixteen." Yamamoto's eyes widened as he glanced down at one of the many questions he left blank in his workbook. All eyes were on him, including the shocked brown ones in the front row. He felt his breath catch as he stared down at the question, having no clue how to answer it. _'Intuition... Please be right!'_

"...Eight point five...?" He guessed, making the rest of the class laugh. At the sound of the laughter, his cheeks flushed red as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. _'Whoops. Maybe next time...' _Yamamoto thought, biting the inside of his cheek. The teacher bristled in frustration as he simply shook his head. The bell rang, dismissing the class for lunch. The girl stood up and packed up her things, getting ready to leave. _'Maybe the courtyard?'_ He guessed, before calling out her name. "Amaya!" The girl stopped and turned around, surprised to see that he'd approached her first.

"Ah... Yamamoto-San. Thank you so much for... You know, the field."

"It's alright. I didn't do anything." He said, grinning brightly. The grin faltered as he gazed down at the girl in front of him. "How's your brother?"

"He's... He's doing alright. Apparently, Izanagi has an enlarged mitral valve and had a mitral valve prolapse. He has to get surgery on his heart next Monday. But, otherwise... I suppose he's recovering fine." She said trailing off and glancing at the girls that were crowded around him with chocolates, praying for the baseball player's attention. "Oh! I picked some chocolates up for you, just in case I was going to meet you today." A small smile crept onto her full pink lips as she rummaged through her bag for the promised box. A light blue box wrapped up in green ribbon appeared in her grasp as she handed them to him. "It was great seeing you again. I've got to run. _Ja ne_." She said, before turning and walking out of the door, allowing the girls to swarm around him.

* * *

He accepted all of the chocolates gratefully, but when the girls disappeared, he glanced down at the single blue box, a small smile gracing his features. He hadn't expected to get chocolates from her at all, but they were a pleasant surprise. Her voice was low but musical, surprising, compared to the shriek he'd heard two weeks ago on the field. He chuckled slightly as he remembered the surprised expression that was pasted upon her features when he'd approached her earlier. Her burnt chocolate eyes were wide as her creamy skin seemed pale. It wasn't exactly her best look, but he wasn't going to say anything to her about it, of course. Yamamoto sat down in front of Tsuna and Gokudera and started to open a box, as he'd forgotten his lunch at home earlier during his morning rush.

"Hey, Yamamoto?" Tsuna asked, as the boy nodded. "Did you know that Amaya girl? I mean, she did give you chocolates after all."

"I met her two weeks ago at my baseball game." Tsuna seemed to accept this answer as Yamamoto picked at the box of chocolates. They weren't anything too special, just lumps of cocoa and caramel, and he couldn't wait to get home to eat. The bell rang once more, signifying that lunch was over, and a wave of students rushed into the classroom.


	4. cleaning, cleaning, cleaning

_'Boring... So boring. If Yamamoto wasn't sitting behind me, I'd probably prop my feet up on my desk like that Gokudera kid is sitting next to me.. Wouldn't that be incredibly lady-like of me?' _Amaya mused quietly, idly scribbling notes into her workbook. She covered her mouth as a silent yawn escaped from her still form, the back of her hand wiping away the tears that formed in her eyes.

"Kato Amaya, what is the answer to number eleven?" The teacher inquired. Amaya glanced up at the teacher, trying to contain hard to contain her bored expression. The teacher gazed expectantly at the girl, as if praying that she would be one of those so-called "perfect students" that were intelligent, enthusiastic, polite and well-behaved, someone that the teacher would be able to brag about during his lunch period. _'Sorry to disappoint you, Kishimono-Sensei.' _Amaya thought, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "Fourth root of five hundred twenty two." She answered flatly, as the teacher bobbed his head up and down in approval and turned back to the chalkboard to lecture some more...

* * *

"Fourth root of five hundred twenty two." A clear, quiet voice said, breaking the silence in the classroom. Yamamoto's eyes glanced over at the teacher, who practically beamed with satisfaction, in knowing that teaching this bunch of demons there was at least, one student, who was worth their while. Judging by that glazed over look in Amaya's eyes, you could tell that she didn't really care too much. That brought a small smile to his handsome features before the teacher caught his eye. "Takeshi? Did you have the answer to number twelve?" The teacher's lips curled upwards in small smirk, perhaps excited at catching him off guard for the second time in the day, but thankfully, he'd _actually_ listened to Gokudera's explanation of a similar problem just the night before. He picked up his pencil and scratched something upon the surface of the paper, before glancing up and locking gazes with the teacher. "One million six hundred fifty thousand eight hundred nine." Yamamoto said smoothly, his voice confident as a grin touched his lips. The smirk fell off of the teacher's wrinkled face as he turned back to the blackboard. Yamamoto gazed over at the brunette sitting in the front of the room, and he thought that maybe, _just maybe_, he saw a small smile tug at the edges of her lips.

* * *

_'Finally,'_ Everyone in the classroom thought, once the bell rang. Amaya stood up and packed her things into her plain, black messenger bag before making her way to the broom closet. Although it was her first day, the teacher had politely informed her that it was her turn for cleaning duties. _Go figure_.

"Yo!" A fimiliar voice greeted. Yamamoto, Gokudera and Tsuna leaned against the wall next to the broom closet, as if waiting for her to arrive.

"Oh, hi, Yamamoto-San, Gokudera-San, Tsunayoshi-San." Amaya said, smiling over at them before pulling the broom closet open. A cloud of dust flew out, making the small brunette sneeze.

"Ugh!" She exclaimed quietly, waving her hand in front of her face, trying to rid the air in front of her of that dust that made her sneeze.

"10th! Leave it to me!" Gokudera exclaimed, ignoring Yamamoto and Amaya. He forced a broom out of the closet and started sweeping the floor in a flurry, somehow making it messier then it was when he'd started. Dust that had glommed onto the bristles of the broom flew off and clouded up the room ever-so-slightly, that even the sometimes-observant Gokudera didn't notice. Amaya grabbed a relatively clean rag, and a spray bottle of marigold yellow liquid.

"You have a… A dedicated friend, eh?" Amaya mused, a smile making the edges of her lips turn up. She squirted some of the fluid onto the desk and started to wipe it off, the overwhelming scent of lemon wafting through the air of the classroom. She rubbed so furiously at the surface of a desk at an ink stain, her cheeks flushed once she was finished. _'One desk down, five million to go.' _She thought.

"Uh... Yeah, I guess." Tsuna replied sheepishly, scratching at the back of his neck. He picked up a broom, and even though Gokudera insisted on doing the job by himself, started to help the others. After Tsuna picked up a broom, Yamamoto followed suit, the three of them working while chattering together pleasantly. In an hour or so, the room was clean, much easier thanks to the volunteered time of Yamamoto and Gokudera. Even as a girl who abhorred cleaning, she supposed it wasn't too bad. Gokudera amused her with his outrageous attempts to serve the _Tenth_ (whatever that meant), and Yamamoto kept her positive, simply with his optimistic phrases, happy laughter and bright smiles and Tsuna, well... Tsuna was cute in his own sheepish, awkward way. It was good to know that the hour spent after school, cleaning up the classroom wasn't time wasted, but instead, a great opportunity to get to know three of her fellow students.

"Ah, thanks everyone." Tsuna said before Amaya grinned brightly over at him.

"Right. Thank you! I'll be heading off now... _Ja ne_!" Amaya said, waving at the guys, grabbing her things and running out of the room. Three sets of curious eyes followed her.

"Wonder what her rush is...?" Yamamoto thought out loud, as Tsuna simply shrugged.


	5. intrigue

"Izanagi!" Amaya exclaimed, as she rushed into the boy's hospital room, with her face flushed. Unlike her athlete of a brother and father, she chose to dabble with the arts, like their late mother. It only resulted in her being a horrid runner with terrible stamina, when it came to exercise, anyways. Her younger brother chuckled at her reddened cheeks and her heavy breathing, out of breath from running a couple of feet from the entrance of the hospital to his room.

"Hi, Ama. How was the first day of school?" Izanagi asked, his bright eyes gazing up at the sister who hovered above him. She had seated herself on the edge of his bed, with her fingers interlaced in her lap. "I hope it went well." His usually quiet voice was even softer, compromised by his heart.

"Oh, it was okay. Boring, you know how school is."

"Meet any cute boys?" The question hung in the air as a soft giggle escaped Amaya's lips. Her brother, younger by only five minutes, knew her like the back of his hand. Not surprising, considering they spent almost every waking moment together.

"Yeah... Though, I don't think you'll like who I was checking out." She teased.

"I'll bet it was that Yamamoto guy on the baseball field." Izanagi declared, brushing a shaky hand through his dark, long hair. "_He_ was quite the looker."

"Oh, I'm sorry... Did you want me to back off, Izanagi? I mean, if you were interested..." Her words were silenced by a swift slap to her knee, and her quiet giggles turned into loud laughs that echoed down the hallway. A nurse walked into the room and gave her a fishy eye before she stopped her laughter, making her stare down guiltily at her lap before the door shut with a click.

"Way to go, Ama. Anyways, I don't really care if you check Yamamoto out. It's not a big deal to me. We're just opponents on the baseball field, but otherwise... You know, I have nothing against him." Izanagi tilted his head against his pillow and closed his eyes, drained. Although he tried his best to keep a strong front, talking really tired him out, especially with the condition his heart was in. Concern clouded Amaya's brown eyes as she fussed over him, successfully tiring her brother out even more...

* * *

"Is it B?" Yamamoto guessed, staring down at the math book. Gokudera groaned in exasperation at his answer, the guess completely off.

"It's five root three! Where are you getting the B from! There are no letters!" Gokudera exclaimed angrily, holding up a tightly clenched fist in front of him. The study session at Tsuna's house had been wildly unsuccessful, with Yamamoto guessing random answers and Tsuna stuck in that perpetual state of confusion whenever it came to math.

"It's just my intuition... I always choose B whenever I don't know an answer." Yamamoto stated, a wide grin accompanying his words before he brushed his fingers through his dark hair.

"Baseball-freak! You always choose _C _whenever you don't know an answer!"

"But why!" Yamamoto fired back as the two fought noisily. Tsuna groaned loudly as he continued to stare down at the workbook, successfully silencing the both of their fighting.

"These numbers make no sense! I can't do it!" He whined, burying his head in his hands as he shook his head. Gokudera quickly averted his attention to the hopeless boy, his green eyes softening.

"Tenth! You can do it! Let me try again!" Gokudera exclaimed before diving into an endless explanation of the complex calculations. Right in the middle of his explanation, Haru had barged in, ready to show off her smart little mind and dump out all of the information her brain cells had to offer. Her high pitched chattering joined in with Gokudera's rough instructions, presenting the listener with quite the unpleasant racket.

"Guys! Be quiet, please!" Tsuna pleaded, holding his head in between his hands. He stared down at his blank workbook as a frown stretched across his face.

"Tenth! I'm sorry!" Gokudera exclaimed, his voice louder than it was before.

"I don't understand any of this." A hopeless expression remained upon Tsuna's features, as Gokudera clenched his fist in front of him, his determination to teach Tsuna the materials renewed.

"Tenth, maybe I should rephrase things. It's really not too difficult once you understand it." Gokudera started to explain the math again, this time, taking a much slower pace. Haru joined in at certain times to add helpful hints on how to do certain things.

"Ah! It's like this, right?" Yamamoto asked, pushing his work over to Gokudera. His green eyes scanned the work before he bobbed his head up and down.

"Yes. Tenth, do you get it now?"

"...I think so." Tsuna said, as he started to scratch numbers down on the sheet of paper that sat in front of him. Everyone waited for him to finish his work expectantly, before he handed it over to Gokudera. Haru peeked over his shoulder at the work, before a bright grin crossed her face.

"Exactly desu!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

* * *

Amaya sat on the cold wood floor of the piano room, her eyes fixed upon the grand piano that had been placed in the middle of the room. Before her mother died, she remembered being in the room often. Her father used to play the instrument frequently, usually in the presence of only his wife, but stopped completely once she died. As toddlers, Amaya and Izanagi had learned to crawl through the doors silently when their father was playing and situate themselves in a corner of the room, secretly watching their father play, to the delight of their late mother. A quiet sigh escaped her lips as she heaved herself up from the nostalgic corner and trudged out of the room, losing whatever urge she had to play the piano. She forced herself to go up to her room and do homework before plopping onto her bed, exhausted.

* * *

Sunlight poured through the window, making Amaya's sleeping figure moan. The pale yellow curtains that hung over the glass were translucent, despite the fact that their sole purpose was to keep out the light and wandering eyes. The brunette practically rolled out of bed before making her way to her curtains. With a powerful flick of her wrist, the curtains flew open, displaying the empty streets of Japan. She enjoyed mornings like this, quiet, bright and – WHO WAS THAT! A familiar baseball player jogged down the street, making heat pool to her cheeks. Clad only in an oversized t-shirt with her hair bigger than Mount Fuji, she was not going to let anyone, _definitely_ not Yamamoto see her. With a thump and a soft squeal, she hit the beige carpet underneath her. After a couple of ticks from the ebony clock that hung above her, she peeked upwards, glad to see that his lanky figure was quickly disappearing. A sigh escaped her lips, thanking God that he had run past her house without seeing her. She hurried to her bathroom to handle her unmanageable brown curls, unconsciously spending a couple of extra minutes on her appearance. Finishing off her school-girl look with a spritz of vanilla, she headed downstairs for breakfast.

* * *

His morning runs were probably his favorite part of day. Japan's air was cool and the streets were dead silent with only the sound of his shoes thud, thud, thudding against the pavement of the street. It was a good time to collect his thoughts and let his mind wander freely as he worked his body into shape. His thoughts were interrupted by a soft squeak and a clunk from one of the houses that he ran by. He gave it a sideways glance from where he stood in the middle of the street, seeing nothing but a rather girly room. It was odd, but he shrugged to himself, and ran off. Sweat dripped from every pore of his body as he ran in the streets, contemplating. For the second time this week his mind fell on Kato Izanagi. The boy was his age, a couple of inches shorter than his 5'10. For some reason, Takeshi was intrigued by him. Perhaps it was his intensity on the field, or his silent but gargantuan presence? Either way, he made up his mind to talk to Amaya about him.

* * *

A freshly showered Yamamoto emerged from his front door clothed in his uniform. A backpack was slung over one shoulder accompanied by a baseball bat on the other as he jogged out in the direction of Tsuna's house. On his way there, he happened to spot _just _the girl that he wanted to talk to. "Amaya!" Yamamoto called out, waving his hand over at her to catch her attention.

* * *

"Amaya!" A boy's voice called out before the girl spun around. Her eyes widened as she spotted the boy. It wasn't the first time that he had called out to her in such an informal manner, and she faltered, trying to figure out what exactly she should call him. Finally, a grin broke out on her features before she replied, "Hey, Takeshi."


	6. freeze

The way she said his name was strange to him. It was like the word rolled off of her tongue, trying it out for the first time. A word filled with uncertainty, said with hesitance. Weird.

"Where'd you rush off to yesterday?" Yamamoto asked, having a slight idea. Her response confirmed his guess.

"I went to go see Izanagi. It's a little weird being at school without him. He _is_ my twin, younger by only five minutes after all. He's great." The smile on her face widened, making it more than obvious as to how she felt about her little brother. She held him in high regard, which only made his interest in Izanagi grow. Her grin was infectious, so he couldn't help but smile back at her.

"He sounds like it. Oy, Amaya. Do you like sushi?" He asked, a plot already forming in his mind.

"Yeah, my whole family loves sushi." An arched eyebrow raised over at him. "For some reason, I don't think you're planning to take me out for sushi." A laugh escaped her lips as his own laugh bubbled out from his mouth, as he shook his head.

"Not exactly. I was planning on bringing some over to Izanagi's hospital room. I've stayed at a hospital before and their food is..." He made a face to convey his point before she laughed again.

"I'll be visiting him after school. You're welcome to come, unless... you had other plans?" Amaya suggested, as he thought for a moment, tapping his index finger against his jawline.

"Mm... sure! They won't mind if I don't hang out with them tonight. Tsuna and Gokudera, I mean. I could just go to Tsuna's place after I visit your brother. You don't think he'll mind, do you? Izanagi, not Tsuna." He added quickly with a sheepish laugh. Amaya shook her head.

"Not at all, I mean, as long as you're not asking him baseball training secrets, I don't think he'll mind at all. I'm sure it'll be a refreshing change having an actual boy around instead of just me and the nurses." She rolled her eyes before continuing. "You're really intent on meeting him, aren't you?" Yamamoto blinked innocently before laughing, the sound making the girl in front of him break out in a huge smile.

"Huh? I guess so!" He replied simply, as he let the smile remain on his features. The two walked in a pleasant silence, content with each other's presence, as he secretly eyed her. She was thin, and not in exactly a good way either. In fact, she sat on the fence of being extremely thin and downright bony. She lacked the curves that Kyoko and Haru seemed to have sprouted so early but despite all of this, she really was pretty. She had eyes that betrayed no emotion, a nose that fit perfectly on her oval face and pale pink lips that were surprisingly full. Others might not be able to appreciate how she looked, but he took a moment to do just that, admiring the subtle and unorthodox beauty her presence embodied.

* * *

She didn't find the silence between them awkward at all. How could she, when she was buried deep in her own thoughts? She wondered why he was so interested in her brother. Was she that inferior to Izanagi? Really? A feeling of self-awareness and insecurity surfaced, two feelings she'd buried deep beneath her surface. Yamamoto and Amaya both seemed to awake from their trances as they overheard whispers from other students walking in front of them. It wasn't about THEM but it made the blood freeze in her veins.

"Did you hear about the eight severely injured Namimori students?"


	7. candy

Once the two students were out of earshot, Amaya turned to Yamamoto. A row of pearly white teeth raked against her bottom lip as her eyebrows knit together, clearly worried about the wellbeing of her fellow classmates. Although she hadn't known them for long, she'd quickly grown attached to them, something not unheard of when it came to her personality.

"Have you heard about the injured students?" Amaya asked as he shook his head.

"No, I don't think so, but something weird happened this morning. I heard someone scream and a thump from one of the houses that I ran past on my jog. You don't think the culprits would injure a girl, do you?" Yamamoto asked, oblivious to the flush on Amaya's face.

"I don't think so… It was probably just someone rolling out of bed." She said, as they both laughed. Amaya rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Anyways, all that stuff would happen at night, I'm sure. It would be less suspicious that way." Yamamoto nodded again, tapping his index finger against his jaw.

"That makes sense." Yamamoto said after a pause, as they arrived in front of Tsuna's house. "Oy, Tsuna!" Yamamoto greeted, with a smile on his face as Tsuna stood barefoot in his front door, left wide open.

"YAMAMOTO! I'LL BE OUT IN JUST A MOMENT!" Tsuna called, rushing back into his house, leaving his door ajar. Amaya hadn't known that they were walking to Tsuna's house so she turned to Yamamoto.

"Oh! I didn't mean to walk you to Tsuna's house! I can leave if you wanted me to." Amaya said, before a little bundle of hair ran and clung to her legs. A little bundle of hair in a cow suit. She picked up the crying child who pointed at Gokudera.

"EVIL! Mean! Demon! Octopus-Head!" He sobbed as Amaya's heart strings tugged. He reminded her of Izanagi, when he was the cow-child's age, and she knew exactly how to stop his crying.

"There, there, sweetie." Amaya cooed, patting the top of the child's head, who cried into her shirt. "After school I'll go visit the candy shop, and you can come with me. Is that okay?" She asked, as a little girl stood in front of her shyly. Amaya kneeled down and offered a hand out to her, with a smile on her face. "Did you want to come with, Princess?" The girl simply bobbed her head up and down before she took Amaya's outstretched hand.

"I-Pin _does_ want to go too!" The girl squeaked in her high voice, before the small brunette picked her up as well. A laugh escaped her lips.

"Then, it's settled!" Amaya said, before turning around to Yamamoto. "Yamamoto, there's a candy shop by the hospital. Maybe we can go there after we visit Izanagi?" She suggested.

* * *

He shrugged his shoulders as a casual grin graced his features.

"Huh? Oh! Yeah, no problem." Yamamoto didn't mind. He liked kids, despite the loud volume each one of them seemed to come programmed with. He'd been a kid once too, so he understood.

"Kato-San!" Tsuna exclaimed, seeing the girl in his front yard and the two kids in her arms.

"Call me Amaya, Tsuna-Kun. We are in the same class, after all. Oh! You don't mind if I take these two out for candy after school, do you?"

"Ah! Tsuna, I'll be going with her, so you don't have to worry about them!" Yamamoto said, laughing. Gokudera sneered from the front door, with his arms crossed over his chest.

"A-ah. That sound be fine, Kat- Amaya." Tsuna replied.

"Take them, Kato. Especially that stupid cow. On second thought, leave I-Pin and take the baseball-idiot instead!" He exclaimed, as Amaya shook her head.

"I wish! They're so cute!" She laughed, as Yamamoto gave her a sideways glance. Maybe she was talking about the kids? That was a little strange of her to say, if she wasn't…

* * *

Amaya caught Yamamoto's glance as she felt the heat rushing to her cheeks. _That_ wasn't what she meant.

"Oh, no! I meant taking the kids home, not the… so-called baseball idiot." She teased, as Yamamoto laughed.

* * *

"Got it." He chuckled, glancing over at the scowling Gokudera.

"Anyways, stupid cow is pretty rough as far as nicknames go. What's your real name?" Amaya asked, tickling the little boy's side with one hand, as she kept I-Pin steady with the other. Loud laughter escaped his squirming body as he tried his best to answer her.

"L-L-L-Lambo-San!" He managed to choke out, as Yamamoto laughed as well, their antics making him grin. So she was good with the kids. That was admirable, since even Tsuna didn't seem to be able to control Lambo as well as her. He glanced at his watch as Tsuna rushed back inside to get something.

"Oy! We should get going soon!" Yamamoto called out, before Amaya grabbed two lollipops from her bag.

"To Lambo-San!" She said, handing him a purple one. "There you go, Princess!" Amaya grinned, handing I-Pin the other one. They leapt out of her arms and ran off into the house, chattering noisily about something, before Amaya turned to a bored Gokudera. "Ready to go, Octopus-Head?" She teased, as he frowned at her. Even Tsuna couldn't help letting a smile dance upon his lips, as Yamamoto laughed loudly. They took off in the direction of the school, chattering pleasantly to one another as they walked…

* * *

"Ah, Yamamoto… How do you feel about Amaya-San? Just curious, I mean…" Tsuna trailed off as Yamamoto shrugged. Honestly, he hadn't given that much thought. Her brother was who interested him, so he paused as he wiped his hands off on the paper towels in the boy's bathroom.

"Eh? Well, she's nice and it's cool that she gets along with the kids. I mean, just look at Gokudera. He's smart, but he can't help but fight with Lambo." Yamamoto laughed as Gokudera shook a fist in his direction. Tsuna had a sheepish expression on his face. That's not what he meant at all, but it's not like Yamamoto knew that. He walked to the classroom with Tsuna without a second thought, until Gokudera started to yell at him.

"BASEBALL IDIOT! That's not what the Tenth meant at all!"

"Eh…? Then, Tsuna, what did you mean?" Yamamoto questioned, before Tsuna shook his head.

"Ah… Oh, never mind." Tsuna said before he finally seemed to understand what the other boys were getting at. He was a guy, sure, he was a little dense, but… he got it. This got him questioning himself. How _did _he feel about her? She was pretty, cute with children, loved her brother… What else did he know about her? Virtually nothing. Did he want to know anything? Or was it going to be a waste of time? No girls were his type, and besides… He didn't have time for a girl.


	8. strawberry flavored note

_Strawberry Flavored Note  


* * *

_Despite the delay at Tsuna's house, there was still about fifteen minutes before the class period started. Amaya settled in her seat as she heaved a sigh. Being alone was such a pain, not to mention boring. Although everyone thought that she was a shy, quiet girl, it really wasn't like that once you got to really know her. Wasn't that the case with everyone? Getting past the first impressions were difficult, so she could only let time run its course, and hopefully, the students would warm up to her.

"Kato-san! You can come sit with us, if you'd like," a girl said as Amaya gazed upwards from her notebook. A girl named Kyoko sat next to a tall brunette... Kuro... Hana? Something?

"Oh, Kyoko! Hana, call me Amaya, please. No need to be so formal with me," the thin girl said, pushing her brown bangs from her eyes. She gathered up all of her things and obliged, joining their little group.

"Amaya! We saw you sitting alone. I hope the first days at Namimori haven't been too bad!" Kyoko chirped, a smile on her pretty features.

"Where are you from, anyways?" Hana asked.

"Oh... Makio Middle. My first days were alright, although the new school thing was kind of odd without my brother," Amaya said as their curious gazes made her continue. "I moved because this school is closer to the hospital," she hinted, waiting a couple of beats before looks of recognition flashed upon the girls' faces. Okay, good. At first, she'd explain the situation after the first time she'd moved, but decided it got troublesome, telling the same story over and over only ever moved for Izanagi, whether it was something little, if their baseball team was sub-par, or if it was something serious, such as living near a hospital. She didn't mind people asking questions, and she didn't mind moving all the time either. She understood.

"Oh, Tsuna-San! Good morning!" Kyoko smiled, waving over at Tsuna. He flushed, which made Amaya laugh quietly, although her gaze casually rested upon Yamamoto. A pretty girl stood up in the front row and walked over to Yamamoto, her cheeks red. Tsuna and Gokudera took one look at her, before obviously realizing she wanted to speak to the baseball player. Alone. Amaya spotted a pink envelope in her hands before turning back to Hana and Kyoko.

"Hm. Seems as if Okumoto-San has something to give Yamamoto." Hana observed, as Amaya laughed, feigning amusement.

"I admire her straight forwardness..."

"Eh?" Yamamoto wondered, as Tsuna and Gokudera both left his side. Five sets of curious eyes were on him as a small girl approached him. Okumoto Mai was a cute girl that had been in his class for about three years now, but they'd never talked, apart from the rare, _what page was the homework on? _Or, _what was the answer to number five?_ They ducked outside of the classroom, as Yamamoto blessed her with a smile. "What's up, Mai?" He asked, before she held a letter in front of her. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were attached to the floor as Yamamoto plucked the letter gently from her grasp.

"Please accept my feelings!" She exclaimed before running back into the room. Yamamoto followed her and settled into his seat across the room from Mai, before the bell rang. As soon as the teacher entered, he started to think. Under his desk, he opened the letter carefully, despite his better judgment. He ignored the overwhelming scent of strawberry that was sprayed onto the pink paper as he started to read the neat kanji surreptitiously. It reminded him of the first time he'd bothered to read one of these things, four years ago. The text inside it was pretty much the same, and he really had no idea as to why he was reading it, or even bothered to open it in the first place. Why? Was he hoping for something different?

* * *

Amaya shifted awkwardly in her seat as the teacher started to lecture. Saturday was coming around the corner, thank God. She needed to spend time with her brother without anyone else. Without Yamamoto. Speaking of him, she was really dreading that visit after school. Spending time with him was going to be weird, especially after she realized how popular he really was. She knew he was popular, but… How could a single boy be so well-liked by the opposite sex? You saw girls slyly checking out the tanned stud at every single opportunity they got… It was irritating. Really. He wasn't _that_ hot, and he was kind of… well, dense.

"Kato-san? Number six? Kato-san?" Amaya snapped out of her thoughts as she stared down at her blank notebook.

"Oh... uh..." Blank. Kishimoto-sensei looked disappointed.

"Izumi? Do you know?"

"Uh... Is it six hundred fifty two x squared?"

"...No. Let me re-explain."

The class _finally_ ended. She packed all of her things as Yamamoto waited patiently next to her with Tsuna and Gokudera.

"You're taking Lambo and I-Pin to the candy shop, right?" Tsuna asked as she nodded.

"Yeah! I'll drop the kids off at your place when we're done at the candy shop. Unless they wanted to come visit Izanagi. Either way, it's not too big of a deal." She shrugged.

"Izanagi?" Tsuna asked.

"Oh! He's, uh. My twin in the hospital." She explained as they started towards Tsuna's house.

"Oh." Tsuna said before Gokudera cut in to avoid an inevitable awkward silence. Thank goodness.

"Tenth! How was the English test today?"

"Eh... Difficult. How about you, Yamamoto?"

"It was okay! Intuition and all!"

"BASEBALL-IDIOT! YOU PROBABLY FAILED IT!" Gokudera exclaimed as Amaya laughed.

"Octopus-head, quit being so positive... it's getting exhausting." She teased.

"OY! ANNOYING WOMAN! Be quiet!"

"You're here!" A high voice said as Amaya leaned down to I-Pin.

"I promised! Where's Lambo-san?" She asked before hearing Gokudera's loud outburst.

"STUPID COW!"

"Lambo!" Amaya exclaimed, opening her arms as the small child practically tackled her in a hug.

"Carry me, carry me!" Lambo demanded as she nodded.

"Sure, sure. I-Pin, did you want one too?" Amaya asked as I-Pin bobbed her head up and down in response. Amaya scooped her up in her arms. "Tsuna! Don't look so worried. They're safe with Yamamoto and I!" She smiled as Tsuna faltered for a moment before smiling back.

"Ah... ok. Just bring them back by seven, okay?"

"Not a problem!"

"See you, Tsuna!" Yamamoto exclaimed, grinning.


End file.
